BUSINESS AS UNUSUAL
BAUU Playbooks
Practical leadership maps for a Business As UnUsual world
Leadership is not short of advice. It is short of usable maps.
The BAUU Leadership Playbooks help leaders recognise what is really breaking down, ask better questions and decide what to do differently.
Start with the leadership challenge in front of you.
Which Challenge Are You Facing?
Start with the problem you recognise most.
1. Decisions keep circling without landing
Unclear ownership, blurred authority, weak escalation or governance that slows decisions rather than helping them move.
2. Pressure is rising and judgement is narrowing
Urgency, uncertainty and emotional reactivity are making it harder to stay clear and useful.
3. Execution happens, but learning and closure are weak
Repeated mistakes, blurred accountability and reviews that change nothing keep bringing old problems back.
4. The team is busy, reactive and always firefighting
Calendar overload, interruptions and urgency are replacing useful operating rhythm.
5. The message is sent, but the meaning does not land
Communication is technically correct but fails to connect, influence or align people.
6. People are busy, but purpose and engagement feel thin
Values, identity and purpose are not shaping behaviour strongly enough.
7. Change is announced, but momentum fades
Agreement is polite, execution slows and teams drift back towards old habits.
8. Decisions need stronger ethics, responsibility and trust
Governance gaps, ethical grey areas and unclear accountability are increasing risk.
Explore the 8 BAUU Playbooks
Each Playbook focuses on a different business and people challenge.
Start with the one that best matches the issue in front of you.
Decision Ownership & Escalation
How leaders clarify ownership and escalation so decisions move forward without friction.
Focus Area
- Decision clarity
- Decision ownership
- Strategic decisions
- Escalation & governance
- Decision governance
- Lean governance
Leadership Under Pressure
How leaders maintain clarity and direction when volatility and pressure increase.
Focus Area
- Leadership mindset
- Adaptive leadership
- Innovation culture
Execution, Learning & Closure
How leaders ensure execution leads to learning and real closure.
Focus Area
- Execution discipline
- Accountability
- Learning loops
- Closure & accountability
Cadence, Access & Firefighting
How leaders create operating rhythm and avoid reactive chaos.
Focus Area
- Operating rhythm
- Virtual leadership
Influence & Narrative Leadership
How leaders influence and align people through communication and storytelling.
Focus Area
- Leadership presence
- Executive communication
- Storytelling
- Influence & persuasion
Purpose & Leadership Identity
How leaders anchor direction through purpose, values and identity.
Focus Area
- Purpose & identity
- Engagement
Change Momentum
How leaders sustain alignment and movement during change.
Focus Area
- Change communication
- Change execution
- Resistance & alignment
Ethics & Responsible Leadership
How leaders integrate ethics and responsibility into decisions and strategy.
Focus Area
- Ethical leadership.
How the Playbooks Work
The Playbook gives you the map.
It helps you understand the leadership problem, recognise what is breaking down, identify warning signs and ask better questions.
BAUU helps you go deeper.
Each Playbook connects into related BAUU Newsletters, Book Reviews and Quotes so you can explore the parts most relevant to you.
The aim is not to make leadership more complicated. It is to make leadership more usable.
Start with the Decision in Front of You
If decisions keep coming back, ownership is unclear, escalation happens too late or senior leaders keep becoming the default decision-makers, start here.
How leaders clarify ownership and escalation so decisions move forward without friction.